Report - Section 6.2

6.2   The Rights of Way Condition Survey 2000

The Countryside Agency's survey provides a mass of data on the problems that users face, and the frequency with which they can expect to encounter them. Some of this data is available only for all rights of way: statistics for bridleways and other specific rights of way are not always separated out.

Table 6.2: Problems faced by users of public rights-of-way

Percentage of rights of way properly signed where they left metalled roads	67%
The report estimates that 105,600 signposts are missing
Percentage of network that was:
Easy to follow without a map	62%
Possible to follow with the aid of OS 1:25,000 map	34%
Difficult or impossible to follow even with a map	4%

CA 94 Rights of way condition survey 2000

Table 6.3: Estimated total numbers / length of obstacles

	Footpaths	Other rights of way	% of ‘problem’ occurring on ‘other rights of way’
Wall/fence/hedge	35,000	5,000	8.0
Electric fence	8,500	450	5.0
Unbridged stream	4,000	700	14.9
Steep / slippery slope	115,500	103,500	47.3
Crops / ploughed surface (km)	6,740	1,000	12.9
Surface natural vegetation (km)	4,190	2,365	36.1
Natural vegetation at side / above (km)	145	585	80.1
Narrow path / linear hazard (km)	185	335	64.4
Muddy / boggy / flooded (km)	1,030	913	47.0
Rough surface / deep ruts (km)	450	817	64.5
Misleading sign	2,000	3,100	60.8
Erosion (km)	20	64	76.2

CA 94 Rights of way condition survey 2000

‘Other rights of way’ contribute 22.3% of the network. Problems shown in red in Table 6.4 above occur more frequently on "other rights of way" than would be expected from their share of the network. This suggests that bridleways and other rights of way used by horse riders may be particularly affected in these ways.

The following table indicates the relative frequency with which different users may encounter problems on rights of way. This indicates that carriage drivers are the users most likely to encounter problems.

Table 6.4: Frequency of problems with rights-of-way, by user

	Carriage driver	Horse- rider	Cyclist	Walker
Serious problems per 10km (a 'serious problem' is an unusable crossing or an obstruction that rendered a route unusable)	8.9	4.2	4.7	4.7
Practical experience of using paths - percentage found to be 'satisfactory' or 'usable, but with some inconvenience'	76%	89%	87%	89%

CA 94 Rights of way condition survey 2000

Horse riders appear more likely to meet an obstruction on a road used as a public path than on a bridleway. Again, carriage drivers face particular difficulties.

Table 6.6: Obstacles for users

	Carriage driver	Horse- rider	Cyclist	Walker
Muddy / boggy / flooded	12.9%	25.4%	12.7%	16.3%
Surface natural vegetation	16.0%	22.3%	17.1%	25.0%
Surface natural vegetation	16.0%	22.3%	17.1%	25.0%
Rough surface / deep ruts	12.5%	11.2%	5.0%	2.8%
Natural vegetation at side/above	18.8%	10.4%	32.9%	7.8%
Wall/fence/hedge	5.6%	7.4%	7.7%	17.9%
Crops / ploughed	2.1%	6.4%	5.3%	12.9%
Other - man made	6.6%	5.0%	4.5%	5.0%
Misleading sign	7.9%	3.8%	4.3%	1.4%
Other - natural	2.5%	3.7%	3.5%	2.7%
Unbridged stream	0.7%	1.3%	1.1%	2.2%
Steep / slippery slope	1.1%	1.3%	1.7%	1.3%
Narrow path	11.8%	1.3%	2.4%	0.7%
Erosion	1.3%	0.9%	1.0%	0.4%
Electric fence	0.2%	0.5%	0.7%	3.6%

CA 94 Rights of way condition survey 2000
Ranked by difficulty for horse riders

Ranked by difficulty for horse riders